Spiritual Progress in Birmingham

I’ve been a bit of a seeker for many years and lately – in the last four years or so, have found Buddhism – particularly as taught by the recently renamed Triratna Buddhist Order – to be a very fertile ground for my journey.

In that spirit I’d like to share a few quotes I’ve come across that have struck me, from Subhuti a Triratna Order member, taken from a recent talk at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre (I’m paraphrasing slightly):

“Skillful action leads to a sense of fulfillment and a smoother, happier life. Unskillful action leads to inner pain, and possibly outer, too. In this way, morality is built into the universe.”

This is one way of looking at the essence of Buddhism, which Subhuti also refers to as “a radical exposure of the fundamental mutability of things”.

Interestingly, the Birmingham centre is kind of the hotbed of the Order, (tho this may soon change) – currently it is home to Sangharakshita, the founder of what is now a world-wide movemment, and also Dharmapala College – “a collaborative enquiry into reality and open-handed sharing of understanding and experience”.

In founding what was then called the Western Buddhist Order in 1968, Sangharakshita had a very radical idea – to create the nucleus of a new society – one not based on needs, but a free association of individuals with a common commitment to personal development.

My spiritual progress is very much just that – a work in progress, so I’ll close this post on a very reassuring quote from Subhuti taken from the same talk as the one above -“spiritual progress unfolds of its own accord, once one has reached a certain level of momentum”. Something to look foward to then!

By the way – you can listen to the whole talk for free (or voluntary donation on the amazing web resource Free Buddhist Audio).
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